A/HRC/30/11 which had been developed despite important challenges, including structural poverty, inequality and crime. 114. The Czech Republic thanked Honduras for its presentation and made recommendations. 115. Denmark recognized Honduran efforts to break the vicious circle of human rights violations, but was concerned about reports that the human rights situation had worsened since the first universal periodic review. It regretted the decision to downgrade certain relevant ministries and was concerned at reported impunity for attacks on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons. 116. Ecuador welcomed reforms of the Criminal Code, particularly those related to enforced disappearance, torture, discrimination and incitement to hatred. It welcomed measures adopted to strengthen the judiciary, through the Council of the Judiciary and Judicial Staff. 117. Equatorial Guinea welcomed amendments to the Constitution, which had extended participatory democracy mechanisms through the system of popular initiatives. It also welcomed efforts to integrate into its decision-making a human rights-based approach taking into account the contributions of civil society organizations. 118. Estonia commended the National Action Plan on Racism and Racial Discrimination and expressed concern that indigenous and Afro-Honduran women continued to face multiple forms of discrimination. It invited Honduras to ensure that human rights defenders could freely carry out their activities without unfair restrictions or fear of reprisals. 119. France asked about the follow-up to the efforts taken to improve the conditions of detention in Honduras. 120. Germany acknowledged the partial reforms made to the Criminal Code. It expressed concern about persistent human rights violations, particularly regarding the right to life, widespread impunity and discrimination against women, children, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons and indigenous population. 121. To conclude, Honduras thanked States for their participation in the second review, and for their comments and recommendations. Honduras believed that the universal periodic review generated opportunities to assess progress and challenges and opened spaces for improving human rights in the country. 122. Honduras was committed to having a permanent mechanism to follow-up on the commitments made as part of the universal periodic review. It was currently working on the establishment of a human rights observatory and would strengthen the role of the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights to respond to the various reports that the State was committed to submitting. Honduras would also create a monitoring and assessment system for the National Action Plan on Human Rights and continue the dialogue with civil society. 123. Honduras acknowledged that, while it had made some progress during the past years, there were structural, institutional and cultural challenges that it still needed to overcome. With the support of the friends of Honduras, the country hoped to build a country which was free from extreme poverty, educated, healthy, democratic, safe and without violence. 13